New Delhi: People of different nationalities have already started arriving in Delhi ahead of the Commonwealth Games as the Indian capital prepares for an avalanche of tourists.
According to recent reports, 15,000 tourists from eastern European and the CIS countries have procured tourist visas with many planning to arrive in the last week of September.
In addition, thousands of sex workers are expected in the city, with many from various parts of the country having been contacted by escort agencies who are anticipating a surge in demand around the time of the October 3-14 event.
Interestingly, while the local Delhi Police appear blissfully unaware, the much maligned Commonwealth Games Organising Committee is fully prepared. They’ve already started installing condom vending machines at the Games Village.
“There’s no way we can stop them from coming. Hundreds of thousands of visitors are expected from various countries. The only way you can distinguish between a normal visitor and a sex worker is that sex workers seldom buy event tickets and hang around stadiums, games village and hotels,” said an official of the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee.
Delhi Police already have their hands full. Besides looking after the VIPs on a day-to-day basis, they will also have to ensure complete security at the games. And with limited manpower, they do not seem to have any plans to deter the sex workers.
A Delhi Police spokesman said they have no information about the expected arrival of sex workers under the guise of games visitors. “We will act if there is any specific information,” he said.
Interestingly, the majority of the 15,000 foreign sex workers, expected to arrive in the city, attended the recent soccer World Cup held in South Africa, at which nearly 40,000 prostitutes were present. Not quite as many are expected in New Delhi given that crowds at the Commonwealth games should be less, but the potential market will be large enough none-the-less.
“Depending on the demand, I can get any number of girls. Right now, I have plans to bring about 100,” said a Russian girl who identified herself as Darya and is presently staying at a Karol Bagh guest house of central Delhi, for a couple of weeks, in order to quantify the demand for international girls at the games.
Another woman, Sheena, who runs an escort agency cum massage parlour in the city, is buoyant about a huge surge in demand for sex workers during the games fortnight and is already making advance preparations. She says international clients tend to pay far more than regular Indians.
